Withdrawal working group postponed at a participant's request.

Working Group

August 16, 2026 · Ibid.

Editorial cartoon: in an Egyptian hotel conference room, Jared Kushner, Tony Blair and Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya stand behind a long table bearing tent nameplates reading KUSHNER, BLAIR and AL-HAYYA; at the end of the table a fourth nameplate reading ISRAEL sits before an empty pushed-back chair and an untouched glass of water, under a framed portrait of Donald Trump.

US envoy Jared Kushner met Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Sunday, the first contact at that level since the 10 October Gaza ceasefire. Board of Peace envoys Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair attended alongside Egyptian, Qatari and Turkish mediators. Israel last week rejected the board's 15-point plan, with Prime Minister Netanyahu saying the IDF will not withdraw until Hamas is genuinely disarmed. More than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza and about 1.9 million displaced, and eight countries issued a joint statement warning that Israel's rejection threatened the peace effort.